88.Since ancient times, deep affection has been impossible to retain.

Before Sakazuki could speak, the corner of his eye caught sight of the trainees finishing their morning exercises along Raohe and gradually entering the dining hall one after another.

It seemed… like there was something worth paying attention to?

The vice admiral's heart, always eager to stir up something, became active once again. He turned to the little girl sitting across from him. "It's nothing. I just didn't expect you to have such a deep knowledge and understanding of this island's species."

Though his face remained stern, carrying an air of dignity, Robin could still hear the praise in Sakazuki's words. The little girl shook her head like a small adult. "The descriptions in these adventure books about the ancient garden aren't detailed enough. There are still many unknown plants and animals on the island."

"Reading books can broaden your knowledge, while practice can verify what's written in them—whether it's the authenticity of events and information in books or the understanding of their principles in real life." Sakazuki nodded while returning the greetings of the little brats who greeted him one after another.

"Can I go into the jungle for field research?" Robin's eyes lit up.

Sakazuki didn't even lift his head before rejecting her outright. "No."

"But you said that theory should be combined with practice!" Robin seized on Sakazuki's own words to fight back.

"What else can you do in the jungle besides becoming a snack for dinosaurs?" The vice admiral seemed dismissive of the idea.

The little girl had no way to refute that. Just then, she suddenly noticed a boy at the neighboring table locking eyes intensely with Lindemann, and inspiration struck her.

Robin pointed in that direction. "I can train with them! That way, I can do field research and improve my strength at the same time. You don't want to return to Marineford only to find that the kid Grandpa Garp brought back is stronger than me, right?"

The man across from her was silent for a moment before shifting his gaze to the neighboring table. After some reluctance, he finally agreed. "Fine. Be careful."

"Yay! ✌" Robin jumped up in excitement.

At the neighboring table, Lindemann shook his head. Still too young. Even with all that accumulated knowledge, she had still easily walked into their vice admiral's little scheme.

Was it that deep emotions never lasted, but cunning always won in the end? Or did the strategic lineage of Sengoku's school of thought always enjoy playing mind games? Lindemann shrugged. Perhaps it was both.

"Oi! Sakazuki!" A giant's booming voice came from outside the door.

Sakazuki patted Lindemann on the shoulder and was the first to step outside.

"You've made up your mind?"

"The spirits of the fallen are watching me. The Marines—I have heard your call, and I must respond." The Elbaf giant wore an expression of unwavering determination.

So what now? Are you pledging to Overwatch or to our Marines?

Sakazuki crossed his arms. "The Giant Squad welcomes you. I'm sure Jorul and your old friends will be happy to see you. As the highest-ranking officer here, I'll give you your first mission—recruit the Red Ogre, Brogy."

Dorry's eyes widened. "What about you?"

The vice admiral, as if it were only natural, strode toward the volcano, brushing past the giant. "That's your first test of loyalty. As for me, I'm going to continue my training."

"Hey! Wait! When are we returning to your Marine headquarters?" Dorry was momentarily stunned.

"Our Marine headquarters. Our." Sakazuki stopped in his tracks to correct him.

"In the mornings, I train my Haki; in the afternoons, I research Devil Fruit abilities inside the volcano. The mission is yours." Sakazuki continued toward his destination.

At some point, Lindemann had appeared behind the giant, holding a small notebook. "Vice Admiral Sakazuki wakes up at precisely six o'clock every morning. Breakfast—coffee with smoked bacon. Lunch—regardless of what he eats, he must have a glass of lemon water. Ever since I've served under him, the vice admiral's schedule has never once changed."

"Obsessive maniac." Dorry turned to look at Sakazuki's retreating figure, muttering under his breath.

Robin was leaping between the dense branches of the jungle, accompanied by a blonde girl even smaller than she was.

Under Sakazuki's arrangements, the young Robin had joined the CP trainees' training camp. As the worst zero-foundation transfer student in history, she wasn't granted any special treatment.

At most, her training load was just about the same as that slightly smaller girl—Kalifa.

Lindemann, the designated caretaker, and the instructors stood quietly atop the treetops, watching the small squad below.

Compared to the islands the trainees had previously trained on, the jungle of the Primeval Island was far more dangerous and lethal.

Even the usually composed Rob Lucci had once been chased into a frenzy by carnivorous dinosaurs. Faced with an unfamiliar environment teeming with predators, the trainees weren't just undergoing routine drills anymore—they were engaging in real wilderness survival.

And with Nico Robin, the burden, tagging along, the CP squad's predicament had only grown more perilous.

"Chababa! So, are you really a Marine soldier?" The chubby boy with a zipper-like mouth muttered as he leaped forward.

"Shut up, Ino. If it weren't for you chattering nonstop, we wouldn't have been exposed," Lucci snapped impatiently.

At the moment, the group was traversing the treetops. Aside from Lucci, none of them had yet mastered the offensive techniques of the Rokushiki.

"You over there, keep up. If you fall behind, you're dinosaur food." Lucci frowned at the girl struggling to cling to a tree branch beside him.

It was precisely because of this deadweight, who couldn't even use Soru, that their movement speed was agonizingly slow.

And the instructors' mission was clear—survive in the jungle for ten days while dragging this oversized burden along. But at this rate, she wouldn't even last a single day.

That chatterbox, Owl, had immediately attracted the attention of a dozen swift raptors as soon as they entered the jungle, leaving them now stranded in the treetops.

Though Kaku, Jabra, Fukurou, and even Blueno had some means of self-defense, it was only just enough for that—self-defense. It was completely unrealistic to expect them to form any kind of coordinated Soru-based assault pattern.

"Hey! The dinosaurs aren't below us anymore!" Kaku called over from a higher branch.

Beside him, a fierce-looking child scoffed, "Isn't it obvious? They must've gotten tired of waiting and left."

Before Lucci could respond, the black-haired girl beside him abruptly denied it. "No! They're still here! They must be lying in ambush somewhere."

"Hah? What are you talking about? Coward!" Jabra sneered before jumping down from the giant tree.

In an instant, several agile figures shot out from the darkness of the jungle. The sudden attack from the predators caught the unprepared Jabra completely off guard.

He let out a startled yelp and, just as the dinosaurs closed in, he desperately kicked at the ground, launching himself back toward the treetops.

However, in his panic, his footing was off, and he ended up missing his landing spot—his foot slipping off the branch.

"!"

"Watch out!" The onlookers above cried out in alarm. Lucci instinctively leaned forward, prepared to save the reckless fool.

Even Lindemann and the mustached instructor, who had been observing from above, had already shifted their stances, ready to spring into action.

A small hand grabbed Jabra's ankle. Several arms sprouted abruptly from the tree branch, gripping his body and canceling out his falling momentum.

"Got him!" Robin, her arms crossed over her chest, let out a breath of relief.

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